FOXBORO -- The Patriots won the battle of top-ranked defenses Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, and that’s why Tom Brady will play in his 11th AFC Championship Game next week.

The Pats survived an improbable scare from the Texans as they pulled away with a 34-16 victory in the divisional round, and they’ll host either the Chiefs or Steelers on Sunday night at Gillette for the right to play in Super Bowl LI in Houston. But while Brady will get credit for his record-setting sixth consecutive appearance in the conference title tilt and a 23rd playoff victory that falls shy of just five other franchises, he can truly thank the defense for bailing them out of their three giveaways.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The N.F.L. likes portraying itself as one big family of owners, players and fans who, despite their differences, come together on game days.

Yet at the Super Bowl in Houston in two weeks, the N.F.L. may have no choice but to air a public and profound grudge on national television. If the New England Patriots defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday as they are favored to do and go on to beat either the Atlanta Falcons or the Green Bay Packers for the title, the league commissioner, Roger Goodell, will have to present the Lombardi Trophy to Robert K. Kraft, the owner of the Patriots.

The moment would be delicious payback for Kraft, who is still simmering about the four-game suspension his quarterback, Tom Brady, served as a result of the cheating scandal known as Deflategate, after the underinflated footballs meant to give him a throwing advantage.

After beginning the 2016 season suspended for four games for his role in the "Deflategate" scandal, the New England quarterback relentlessly carried the Patriots to an unprecedented ninth appearance in the title game, and his seventh.

Brady threw for a franchise playoff-best 384 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 rout of the helpless Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in New England's sixth consecutive AFC championship game.

When the cameras flashed to Rob Gronkowski sitting in a luxury box next to rocker Jon Bon Jovi during Sunday’s AFC Championship Game win against the Steelers, a few thoughts came to mind.

The first was how hard it must have been for him to sit there unable to play and watch another conference title game in street clothes. It also made you wonder how much better the Patriots would be if they were taking their All-Pro tight end to the Super Bowl.

But as Tom Brady and the offense rolled up 36 points on the Steelers, another feeling crept in and wouldn’t leave.

Sources say the Browns' interest in Garoppolo is real and that they'll try to trade for him depending on how their draft evaluations go over the next five weeks or so.

If the Browns decide to draft Mitch Trubisky or Deshaun Watson in the first round, they'll be much less likely to pursue the Patriots' backup -- but wouldn't rule it out.

But they'll have competition for Garoppolo that will drive up the price. Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan liked him coming out of the draft, and might pursue a deal once he formally becomes the 49ers' head coach.

Patriots pull off biggest rally in Super Bowl history to win fifth title

HOUSTON — Forget the redemption tour. Forget the revenge. Forget the vitriol against the NFL and its commissioner.

Tom Brady and the Patriots rewrote the history books and the storylines last night with their epic, 34-28 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The Pats trailed 28-3 midway through the third quarter before ripping off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Prior to this, the Pats’ 10-point comeback two years ago against the Seattle Seahawks had set the bar.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers walked into the team’s locker room on Monday night, still wearing the “Super Bowl Champions” hat the players were handed on the field in Houston after winning the NFL title.

“I haven’t taken it off much” in the previous 20 hours, Flowers said. “There was a lot of work to get this hat.”

The Patriots returned to New England on Monday night, bringing their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy home to show off for fans who filled the parking lots outside the team’s stadium and lined up for hours outside the souvenir shop hoping to buy championship gear.